As Allyson Schwartz eyes run at governor, Joe Sestak remains mum on candidacy

Now that there is a good chance U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-13, of Montgomery County, will seek the Democratic nod for governor in 2014, it raises questions about whether former Delaware County congressman Joseph Sestak will enter the race.

Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Marcel Groen said while the 2014 gubernatorial race is a long way off, there is a good chance Schwartz will enter the race. He estimated she is about “80 percent of the way in” the race.

“From every indication, she’s very serious about running, but she is still doing her homework at this point,” Groen said Monday.

Speculation about whether Schwartz will run also raises questions about whether Sestak — a former three-star U.S. Navy admiral who was congressman of the 7th Congressional District for two terms before U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-7, of Upper Darby — will enter the race. Several attempts to reach Sestak for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

Rachel Magnuson, Schwartz’s chief of staff, said Monday that the congresswoman has not made a final decision. Schwartz has about $3.1 million in her congressional campaign fund and will be able to transfer that money to a state level account if she runs for governor.

“Congresswoman Schwartz is appreciative of the support she is getting from people across Pennsylvania, including Delaware County, encouraging her to run for governor,” Magnuson said. “She is carefully weighing a run for governor, but she has not made a final decision.”

Groen said he had no information about whether Sestak will run for governor. Democratic officials in Delaware County and Chester County are also unsure of Sestak’s plans.

“I don’t know who is in or out,” said Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman David Landau, referring to the 2014 gubernatorial race.

Landau said local Democrats are focused on the 2013 races at this point.

“As we go through this year, I’m sure it will sort itself out,” he said.

Chester County Democratic Party Chairwoman Michele Vaughn said she had no information about whether Sestak is going to enter to gubernatorial race.

“Only Joe knows what Joe is going to do,” said Ed Bradley, chairman of the Upper Darby Democratic Committee. “It’s a crowded field with a lot of people from southeastern Pennsylvania and anybody who is going to get in is going to have to think seriously about how they proceed.”

Other Democrats considering a run for governor include Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, state Treasurer Rob McCord of Montgomery County, former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection John Hanger of Hershey, York County businessman Tom Wolf and former U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper of Erie.

Jared Solomon, a former campaign aide for Sestak, said he reached Sestak in between teaching classes at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Cheyney University Monday.

“All he told me is he is busy teaching and making sure his decision is the right thing to do,” Solomon said.

There has also been some speculation about whether U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., would run for governor in 2014. But Casey, who was recently re-elected to his second term in the U.S. Senate, said he would not run for governor during a meeting with the Daily Times editorial board earlier this month.

“My plans are to be in the United States Senate for six years,” Casey said. “That plan is etched in stone.”

Casey said there are a number of Democrats who are eyeing the seat in 2014, but he was unwilling to say who he’d support at this time.

“I hope we can avoid an expensive primary,” he said.

Sestak has been known to be tight-lipped when it comes to his decisions about his future.

He defeated 20-year incumbent Republican Congressman Curt Weldon, R-7, of Thornbury, in 2006. Sestak and former Democratic state Rep. Bryan Lentz, of Swarthmore, had both eyed the Democratic nod for the 7th Congressional District seat in 2006, but former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell stepped in and asked Lentz to run for the 161st Legislative District seat held by Tom Gannon instead. Lentz won the state House seat and Sestak won against Weldon that year.

Sestak was congressman in the 7th Congressional District from 2006-2010 and then decided to run for U.S. Senate. He won the primary against the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., but lost by a slim margin in the general election against U.S. Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa.

Some people thought Sestak would attempt to reclaim his old congressional seat in the fall of 2012 by running against Meehan. He ended up not running in that race and Radnor Democrat George Badey III unsuccessfully challenged Meehan instead.

On the Republican side, Gov. Tom Corbett has hinted he is seeking a second term in 2014. The Republican governor could face a primary battle though because Montgomery County Commissioner Republican Bruce Castor has called himself a prospective candidate.